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An excellent first season for an excellent show

Considering the amount of reviews I have written (or am planning to write) about TV series', I would seriously question how much time I have on my hands! But to be honest, writing reviews tends to be a bit of a break from lesson planning and essay writing - and of course is helping towards family Christmas presents!

Bones is a series that I came across quite randomly, renting series two (I think that was the last thing I've ever rented) purely because it was one of the few series' available in the rental shop, and because it looked intriguing. Of course, after watching season two, I just had to go on to season one, and as this is usually the best place to begin, so shall I.

Bones is an investigative drama based on the real-life adventures, as well as the books, of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. What is an anthropologist I hear some of you cry? Well in Bones' case, she is a forensic anthropologist, who, by looking at the bones of human remains can work out how they lived - and died. She can glean age, sex, race, and in some cases she can also work out what sport they played a lot (and more) from a person's bones. Alongside a charming FBI agent, Bones (actually called Dr Temperance Brennan) investigates murders and works with her team at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington DC (in reality known as the Smithsonian Institute). So think CSI, just a lot more interesting! For those of you have read the books, the Temperance Brennan in the TV show (and to be honest all the characters) are younger and different to how and who they are in the books. Kathy Reichs herself has said that this is a young Temperance Brennan, whilst her books are more based on an older Bones. However, for once I don't mind the difference, as other than some of the murders and means of investigation, the books and TV show are totally different, and can be taken as such, rather than thinking one is a poor copy of the other.

The lead actors in the show are Emily Deschenal (sister of musician/actress Zooey Deschenal), and David Boreanez (Angel, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) playing her partner Special Agent Seeley Booth. I think that these are an excellent pairing, and there is some brilliant chemistry between them, and although sparks fly between them, they are not sparks of romance, which to be honest is refreshing with a male-female lead. Their characters fit will together; a genius forensic anthropologist with numerous degrees but no real sense of social norms, and a former army sniper turned FBI agent who may not be as brainy as Bones, but is far more intelligent when it comes to alive people. Cue a little hilarity as they both try to teach each other how to behave in certain situations, and explaining what each other mean all the time. But don't worry, this doesn't get tiresome! This could be due to an excellent supporting cast of characters: Angela Montenegro - like Booth she is more in touch with the alive than the dead. She is an artist who gives the victims a face, and who seems to develop more and more advanced technology as the series' progress, so perhaps not as 'unintelligent' as one would first think. There is also Dr Jack Hodgins (a 'bug and slime' guy) and his counterpart, Zack Addy (Bones' apprentice); these make a comedy double act that always seem to be in a 'good' drama - but then again, you do need a little comedy when dealing with death! Leading this motley crew is Dr Goodman, who runs the Jeffersonian and is a former archaeologist - and has a voice who I can listen to for hours!

So there we have the main cast, and what the show is about. Now for season one. Briefly, each episode runs as you would expect - remains (usually a bone or two hundred) are found and Bones & Booth are called in to investigate and catch the bad guy, no matter how long the bones have been bones. Woven into this are the characters stories, and the more you watch of the series, the more that is revealed about each character. As with another favourite series of mine, Grey's Anatomy, Bones develops the stories of all the characters, rather than the lead two, making it a deep and intricate, and more believable story. As the season goes on, a small story-arc relating to Bones' mysterious past unravels, leading to a cliff-hanger climax at the end of the series - and me re-watching series two, which suddenly made a heck of a lot more sense! It's definitely worth watching this series from the beginning, as although you can pick it up later on, there are storylines (both criminal and personal) that are relevant later on and would make things less confusing. Then again, unless you're like me, you'll probably start at the beginning anyway!

Overall this is an excellent season, and out of the 6 and a bit seasons I have watched, season one still has one of my favourite episodes of the entire show. And I wouldn't even be able to tell you why this episode is my favourite - it just is I'm afraid. There are bonus features on the DVD, but the only one I have made use of is the cast commentary (Emily Deschenal and Seeley Booth) on one of the more nail-biting episodes. I love cast commentaries as you really get a feel for the episode or film you are watching, and it's interesting to hear the actors point of view, and what they felt when they were filming such a hard episode. As you may expect, Bones can be a little gory, but as they are mainly dealing with bones and the very occasional corpse I feel it is nowhere near as gory as shows such as Casualty!I would - and frequently do - recommend this to anyone who likes a crime drama. Or has an interest in forensics and wants something different to CSI. Or I basically recommend this to anyone I know, as it really is a good series, with an ability to keep you gripped as well as guessing through an entire episode. Plus, you can learn some interesting facts that are always good to throw into conversations here and there!

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Bones is a great show, proven by it's longstanding in the US networks

What's the story? The whole idea is based on the books by Kathy Reichs, but they're for a whole other review. So it centres around Dr Temperance Brennan, a genius anthropologist working at the Jeffersonian in Washington DC, she is at the top of her game (and knows it). She gets partnered with an FBI agent Seeley Booth, played by the rather hunky David Boreanaz :) And the could not be more opposite, she is the typical geek, socially awkward, she has a bit of a catch phrase that's on going throughout the series of ''I don't know what that means'' and it totally sums her up. Whenever someone mentions something from pop culture that's her response, it's pretty funny. Booth on the other hand is a typical man's man, very confident, good looking and just naturally cool, but despite their differences they manage to work together and get on.The idea of the show is that Brennan aka 'bones' gets called in whenever there is a tough case to crack, becomes the remains are simply bones (sometimes only part of bones, she's pretty good at figuring stuff out), and she does the geek stuff, whilst Booth does the police side. Bones has a whole team of 'squints' and this is where some of the fun stuff comes in, they have some great gadgets in there gianormous lab, i'm not sure if all these toys exist but they definitely should!The chemistry between Booth and Brennan is great, think Moulder and Scully Xfiles style, it builds slowly in the first season but by the following seasons there is some definite romance brewing :)

What's so great about it? The characters are fantastic, and Emily Deschanel (Brennan) plays Bones so well, it would've been very easy to make bones unlikeable because she is so confident and often says quite cringeworthy things, modest she is not! But still she plays it with an innocence that just makes you laugh about it. All the characters play great together but it is definitely held together by the bones-booth, will they won't they scenario.

What's not so great? Well, I would say the technical language can be a little much sometimes, especially when it comes to Hodgins (there bug expert) some of his dialog is a little lost on me, but never the less you'll still be able to follow the show. Also, it may be a little bit gory for some. They rarely show and violence but the bodies can be in a pretty gross state so if squeamish, beware!

So, to round up, i'd say watch this series. I wouldn't say it's an addictive show, most episodes don't really follow on directly from the previous one which some people like, others however will prefer a backround story that runs through from beginning to end. It's nice to dip in and out of without needing too much concentration.Also it does pick up a bit after the first season and the back stories of the characters are built up, and we see more from the lives outside of the lab

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A great series well worth a watch

Bones is an American police comedy drama tv series that was released in September 2005 and is still running at present. In my opinion this is a fantastic series and I hope there are many more episodes of it made!

Emily Deschanel plays Dr Temperance Bones a forensic anthropologist who works at the Jefferson institute in Washington DC. The series is about how Bones and her team along with FBI special agent Seeley Joseph Booth (played by David Boreanaz), solve various crimes by analysing victims bones and remains.

Bones and Seeley Booth are my two favourite characters and are the two main people in the show. Even from the first episode, it is obvious to see the electricity between Bones and Booth. Bones and Booth sometimes argue but work amazingly together as a team.

David Boreanaz in my opinion is a great actor and really fits into his part in bones. The most obvious trait that Booth has is that he is not scientifically minded at all, quite the opposite from bones and has to constantly ask her to 'speak English' when she is talking scientifically as he does not have a clue what she is trying to say to him.

Emily Deschanel also is a fantastic actress and plays the part of Bones superbly. She is portrayed to be someone that has plenty of emotion underneath but just cannot show it as her thinking is so analytical and everything to her must either be a fact or it is not worth considering. Booth is the only person that can try to talk to her and make her act like a living breathing human being and show emotion. The onscreen chemistry between the two is perfectly executed.

Also in Bones' team are Bones best friend, Angela Pearly Gates Montenegro, a forensic artist (played by Michaela Conlin). Angela is a specialist in craniofacial reconstruction and spends her time reconstructing various skulls and also drawing pictures to illustrate what the victim had actually looked like. Angela is very kind hearted and very soft, she gets upset quite easily and I found it very sweet that when she is drawing the faces, if she thinks that the person was generally happy in their lives then she would give them a smile.

Angelas partner who works with her, is a machine suitably named 'The Angelator' which can produce 3D reconstruction images to help show what actually happened to the victim during the time that the crime was committed. In my opinion the effects of this piece of technology are amazing and really add to the the show, I often wondered does such technology actually exist? - I hope so!

Dr Zachary Uriah Addy (played by Eric Millegan) is also part of Bones' team and works alongside her as a graduate student. He is extremely intelligent and very straight laced. Zack lives in the garage of his best friend Dr Jack Stanley Hodgins, an entomologist (played by T J Thyne). Jack is normally concerned with conspiracy theories and is always trying to explore every avenue available to him. Zack and Jack are very funny together as they try lots of 'experiments' and are often referred to as 'sick' by the other team members. You can always see that the thought was there, they just went about it the wrong way!

In summary I think that this is an amazing series. There are some gory bits in the programme so if you have a weak stomach I suggest that you avert your eyes at times! This however would not stop me from watching Bones as it is a great series. I give it a highly recommended 5/5!

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An Excellent introduction to one of TV's most inspired teams!

'Based on the life of forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs', "Bones" follows Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and her team of 'squints' as they analyse forensic evidence found on bodies at crime scenes and determine not only how they died, but who killed them.

With the air of sexual tension between Brennan and her rogueish FBI partner Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz), the first season of "Bones" echoes early "X-Files" seasons and provides a springboard for what has become a modern day cultural phenomenon.

Mixing humour, sentiment, humility and grace, "Bones" captures the imagination and sows the seed of intrigue that will keep viewers hooked for seasons to come. I have found myself laughing out loud or teary eyed after almost every episode.

Along with a good dose of gore and some genuinely creepy characters, this is a TV show that is not for children, or the particularly squeamish. Do not settle in to watch an episode if you are sitting down to a plate of noodles or rice - comparisons with worms and maggots will almost certainly put you off your food.

I found this series to be an excellent introduction to the world of Temperance Brennan. This is great TV.

However, fans of the books may be slightly let down by the differences between the novels and the series. Characters, locations, and important events from the books are not present here, and this may cause some die-hard Reichs fans to give it a miss. I would point out that this series is not meant to be an adaptation of the books, and is more suited for mass appeal than for avid crime readers.

Fans of "The X-Files" and "Castle" will almost certainly love this - but remember to take a breather and open the curtains once in a while.

Reality is still "out there".

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A great crime series

I bought this DVD on the recommendation of a friend. I love the crime genre of programmes but was beginning to get bored of CSI and was looking for something new to start watching. I decided to give it a go because I was entrigued by David Boreanaz staring in a lead role in tv again (hes a good actor and he doesnt hurt the eyes!). I was slightly sceptical of Bones to begin with because I couldnt see how there could be enough variety in the episodes when the all the victims were made up of bones but it works really well.

Bones follows Dr Temperance Brennan (aka Bones) who is a scientific genius but lacks in social skills and FBI Special Agent Seely Both who isnt very scientific but makes up for it in people skills. (He generally translates scientific terms in to basic English which can be very useful at times!) They are the two main charactes and make a great partnership to watch. Bones works in the Jeffersonian Institute along with Angela Montenegro whose a forensic artist - making the bones in to people - and helps Bones works on her people skills. She is a very endearing character and you learn to love her quickly. There is also Zack whose another scientific genius and is very similar to Bones. He is her student and a very geeky character. Zack is best friends with Hodgins whose an entomologist. Hodgins brings alot of fun to the series paticularly when he talks about conspiracy theories. Zack on Hodgins work together on trying inapropriate experiments all the time - generally blowing things up which can bring alot of fun to an episode.

Season 1 can take a bit of getting used to. The characters take a few episodes to gel and work together properly but by disc 2 I was happily watching Bones and couldnt get enough! The characters come together really well and it becomes quite a believable team. Each episode the friendships and relationships between the characters grow as you watch different cases occuring. You will also sit there and wonder when Bones and Booth are going to get it together.....You know its a good show when you really get in to the relationships of the characters.

I know the show is based on books by Kathy Reichs but I have never read these so I couldnt tell you how close to the books the series is. Though if you like crime series then you will love Bones. Its a really good series with great characters, believable relationships and lots of crime solving action. I even love the theme tune! If you were worried about Boreanaz in this role either because you loved him as Angel or because you didnt then get past that and give this show a go because he is really good in this amazing show.

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Fun easy show to watch if you like a little more historical crime detail

This series developed from the books by Kathy Reichs is one of the plethora of US crime drama's to air in recent years. It is good to see this one taking a slightly deviation by putting a forensic pathologist in the lead role and making the FBI a secondary.

There have been some simplifications from the book - notably Brennan being slightly younger and less together and only having one job! The books were split over in to a Canadian location as well as work in the US which would have made it difficult to maintain a consistency.

What is also nice to see it that although Booth could be seen as your standard suave FBI agent many of the characters in the lab are slightly more socially awkward, flawed and far more human. This makes them much much more identifable and far far funnier. The mini social dramas played out in the lab are almost as interesting as the storylines. This combined with the sexual tension (B&B) increases the watchability!

The cases always have a strange twist and go much more in to the variety of scientific tests used than most shows (these guys do not rely on DNA!)

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What can i say, Bones has it all

I am a big fan of CSI and Criminal Minds and my Mum kept telling me to watch Bones as i would really enjoy it. I was abit sceptically as i was used to seeing David Boreanaz as a vampire who kicked alot of demon butt and i loved that so was unsure if i would like him in a different role. I finally gave in and watched an episode and i can safely say i was completely and utterley hooked.

Its similiar to other crime dramas like CSI but its also quite different. Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) is a FBI agent who teams up with Temperance Brennan 'Bones' (Emily Deschanel) who is an anthropologist who in her spare time writes crime novels. Dr Brennan and the rest of her team aid Agent Booth in solving crimes through anthropology.

Agent Booth is an ex sniper who is now a Special Agent with the FBI and is very religious, his character brings a lot of humour to the show. Dr Brennan is a straight talking women who pretty much sees things in black and white. As far as shes concerned everything is based on science in some way and doesnt believe in religion.The rest of the team consists of Angela Montanegro, who is the artist amongst them, she takes a skull and somehow manages to put a face to it to help with identification. Then there is Dr Hodgins who specialises in bugs and slime and can determine time of death etc using these. Theres Zak Addy who is Dr Brennans extremely clever assistant who is currently in the middle of two doctorates and is being trained by Dr Brennan to become and Anthropologist. And finally there is Dr Goodman who is the Director and runs the Jeffersonian institute where they work. Hes mainly administration but is also an architecture.

The episodes are great, the chemistry between Brennan and Booth is electrifying leaving you wondering if they are ever going to get it together. Theres plenty of forensics, comedy and action.

The drama is based on the books written by Kathy Reichs who is also a Forensic Anthropologist which are based on real life experiences.

The Boxset consists of 6 discsThere are 22 episodesAudio CommentaryExclusive DVD featurettes:-SquintsThe Real DefinitionBones - Inspired by the life of Forensic Anthropologist and Author Kathy Reichs

I would recommend Bones to anyone and everyone if you like crime dramas and like to watch these with plenty of action and comedy.

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Boney

Loosely based on the books by Kathy Reichs (who is also a producer of the TV Series), Bones follows FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (Angel Star David Boreanaz) and a specialist forensic anthropology team lead by Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel).

The first episode shows how Booth has to get in contact with Dr. Brennan (nicknamed "Bones" by Booth) as he required her special expertise in discovering more about the human remains of his current case. It is hinted that there has been some kind of previous working relationship, but that it ended on sour note.

With persuasion, the pilot series shows Booth and Brennan working as a team again on a case along with her team of experts, Angela (played by Michaela Conlin), Jack (T.J Hyne) and Zack Addy (played by Eric Millegan). Each episode shows a different case and this team working together to discover the facts and the different developing relationships and backgrounds of the team.

My Thoughts ============Despite having 4 other boxsets which I have finished since Christmas, this one has taken me the longest to get through. I started watching it with my boyfriend who lost interest almost immediately from the second episode. I am actually fascinated with the whole forensic process, and the detail that goes in to discovering the facts of a crime so I carried on with this series. This alone has kept my interest and has managed to be quite fascinating viewing. This is possibly because Kathy Reichs who is actually a forensic anthropologist herself, has given it a level of credibility and believability.

The cases that come through to the team are fascinating, from finding a hand in the stomach of a bear, the body of a teenager hanging from a tree and a cooked human body! This leads the team to do all sorts of fascinating and technical research on to the remains from holographic images of what might have happened, from reconstructions of the face through these holographic imagery, through to finding out the time of death and the location of death.

It is all extremely interesting and that is what kept me watching. The let down on this however is just the interaction and development of the characters themselves, in particular, the two main characters of Booth and Brennan. Booth is supposed to be socially awkward; more comfortable in her work than interacting with other people, but in my opinion a warmer person needs to play the lead.

If this is what the producers wanted portrayed, I think that Emily Deschanel plays the role well. She does come across as very straight and awkward and at times tactless when dealing with people. However, now and again a more human side comes out of her and I'm hoping that perhaps in later seasons she will be a character that I can warm to. In the present, not much is referred to in terms of her back story for over half of the series so it was hard to feel a connection to her. However, the end episodes reveals more about her intriguing past and almost compensates for her lack of human emotion throughout!

Similarly, with Booth, the first half of this series I just find him irritating. Smarmy, cocky and generally overly sure of himself, I don't particularly like him as a character either. I think the casting of David Boreanaz in this role is quite bizarre, as she is the main character due to her skills as an anthropolgist, so he naturally has to take a backseat to Brennan which I find unusually for a fairly well-known actor who has previously had a series of his own! I did read that Boreanaz was reluctant to take the role but the producers talked him in to it so perhaps that was an unwise choice on all of their parts, although I can see why the producers wanted to tag a bigger name to this project.

I found, at the beginning at least, Booth's level of humour grating and it feels like the character is trying to push himself in to the limelight in front of Brennan. There is a hint of a love story which is supposedly on the cards between the two main characters, but quite frankly I dont care enough about them at this stage to care how it might pan out!

The more funny and interesting characters in this show are the other "squints" (Agent Booth's 'affectionate' name for those in the scientific/lab world.) Jack and Zack add a great comedy element to the show, sometimes sniping at each other and sometimes helping each other out. Angela is also interesting, adding a bit of much needed spice to the group of boring people, fun loving, caring and interesting, she is the unlikely best friend of Brennan and fell into the job by accident.

I have to say though, that for the most part the character issues become better towards the end of the season. I almost come to like Booth and Brennan as more of their back story is revealed. There seems to be more camaraderie between the characters in the lab as well, and I enjoyed seeing them all pull together as a team for some of their projects that were a bit closer to home. I particularly liked the little spark I saw starting to appear between Jack and Angela, and seeing what develops between them in the next series, if anything (unlike Booth and Brennan!)

Overall ========

I wasn't sure if I would buy another series of this, but the slow burning characters have won me over a little bit now. The disappointment is really the abrupt ending of some of the episodes but I guess there isn't time to develop a big storyline into one ep in a TV series.

Even better, this series does end on a cliff hanger, one that was perhaps easy to see coming when you watch the episodes leading up to it, but still enjoyable, and this is what has swung me to watch on and see what happens.

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A Decent series to get into

Bones follows a genius forensic anthropologist Dr.Temperence 'Bones' Brennen And FBI Agent seeley booth as they solve a series of grisly murders with the help of there quirky scientist team.

The series consits of 23 fantastic episode full of Comedy and dark humor. The Characters are all drawn out and have some fantastic development throughout the series which lets you invest in them throughout the start. Emily Deschanel is the lead as Bones. She is cold and not very good with people and creates some very funny awkward moments in the series. her relationship with Seeley Booth is simmering and the tension between them keeps you hooked in. The series is based on the real lfe adventures of Author Kathy Reich's. The episodes are standalone with character development throughout and leaves you wanting to watch the next episode straight away.

The series has it flaws but are very minor. David Boreanaz is also very good in the lead and brings a lot of depth to a character that could of been very one dimensional. The dvs package has some good extra to go alon with it. All the episodes have comentry and reveals some intresting facts about the science behind the programme, also there aref our featurettes one being a look into who Kathy Reich's is. This series is a must and is great viewing.

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great tv series long may it continue

This is one of the best tv shows ive seen in a long time, about a logical forensic scientist Dr Brennan (Emily deschanel) who begins to work with a fbi agent Seeley booth(David Boreanaz) to help him solve murders,without approx 23 episodes in the series booth and brenan with the help of there 3 lab assistants solve a range of obscure murders which range from being touching to really gross and ucky,what definatley keeps you watching this series is the question of whether seeley and brenan will ever get together there touching relationship is the core of the whole show.The subject matter is of course dead bodies which are made to look extremley realistic so this series isnt for everyone if they can make you go ewhhh and yuk they definatley will but if your like me and enjoy this this series could be for you.With Bones just starting its 4th series and long may it continue each series gets better and better with long term storys developing in the cast Series 1 is approximatley 946 minutes long there are numerous different featurettes on the boxset which are also very good,the series is rated a 15 and you can pick up a box set on amazon for around £20.00

Plot:Basically it involves Dr Temperance Brennan (a Dr of anthropology who struggles with people and social situations) teaming up with special agent Seeley Booth (a man who isnt good at the science side of things but can read people really well) to solve murder cases with the help of the rest of the jeffersonian institute.

Summary:An interesting concept which is pulled off well by the cast and crew. The episodes in the first season are hit and miss, although there are more good episodes than bad ones.There is some repitition of storylines in the first season but that becomes alot less in the second season (Which is betetr than the first in my opinion).

Positives:Character Interaction is easily the shows strongest point, especially between David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, it also has a great comedic feel to many parts of the episode which i think is essential in most dramas.

Negatives:As i have said before, sometimes watching a new episode can feel like watching one you already have watched, but in season two the writers tried a lot harder to think of interesting new storylines which they did very well.Another negative point would be the lack of extras on the DVD, with hardly anything at all.

Watch if you like: CSI, Cold Case, House

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Great Crime Drama from Fox

I thought I say a skeleton once. I was about 10 years old and I used to share a room with my brother. I woke up in the middle of the night only to see a spectral skeleton floating above the ground near my bed. Suffice to say I did not eat cheese before going to bed again and my brother and I soon moved rooms as I could no longer sleep. What would happen if I say a skeleton know? Probably not much as it would be sitting in a museum. However, if I dug one up or found one in a wall cavity I would run away faster than a sprinter on horse steroids. Its this reaction from normal folk that explains why we have the police and forensic specialists to deal with these things. Make no bones about it  I wouldnt do it!

Bones is a TV show developed by Fox about a forensic anthropologist called Dr Temperance Brennan. Early on in the series she aids Agent Seeley Booth in a crime involving a skeleton. Due to her high level of expertise and the FBIs jurisdiction over the entire USA the number of cases that need a specialist such as Dr Brennan means that they soon form a partnership between the FBI and the doctors team of specialists at the Jeffersonian Museum. Each episode highlights a case that requires both Dr Brennan's clean scientific studies and Booths gut reactions. Together they form a partnership that can uncover murders  old and new.

Bones refers to the nickname that Booth gives to Dr Brennan and underlines the level of fun that the writers bring to this dark subject matter. Based on a series of books by Kathy Reichs, Dr Brennan herself is an author in the show. This gives the series a level of expertise that shows up in each episode. Rather than remaining a dry look at death, the creators of Bones have made the two central characters both charming and funny. The relationship blossoms throughout the series to mimic that of Mulder and Scully in the X Files. Although this series was red lit due to the popularity of the similarly themed Crime Scene Investigators is stands on its own two feet as an excellent programme.

The writing is the first area that should be praised, not only is each story different from the next but a lot more is given to develop the characters than in many shows of this type. You get the feeling that the creators made a concerted effort to try and flesh out the roles of, not only, Brennan and Booth, but also the cast as a whole. This means that after only a few minutes you begin to know more about and enjoy characters in Bones than in an entire series of CSI. Perhaps it is the acting combined with the characters that is the strongest element to the show.

The main two roles of Dr Brennan and Booth are cast perfectly by Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. They seem to know their characters really well and push what is funny and acceptable between two colleagues. Deschanel plays Dr Brennan as a very intelligent but social unaware woman and this works fantastically against Boreanaz portrayal of Booth as a hard nosed but fun loving FBI agent. The best moments of the show happen when these two characters are bickering together. For all their differences their relationship and the show work so well because they complement each other so perfectly.

The supporting cast in series 1 of Bones is also very good. We have the sexy best friend of Brennan; Angela (Michaela Conlin), who acts as her emotional side as well as the stuck up boss Dr Goodman (Jonathan Adams). Perhaps the best two roles go to the assistants Hodgins (T.J.Thyne) and Zack (Eric Millegan). These two characters are very likable but also very geeky. Hodgins is a conspiracy nut and his interpretation to what may have happened in a particular case is often very funny. Zack is a young PHD student who is very intelligent but even more socially inadequate than Dr Brennan  this leads him into lots of funny problems. The supporting cast are developed through the show and are not left behind like in many dramas. The actors play them so that they reveal their intelligence but also some of their inadequacies. This human feel runs throughout the show and is what makes it unique in the crime genre.

Another couple of areas of production that should be praised are the special effects and direction. Bones is the kind of show that will succeed or fail on what the bodies look like as they are instrumental to each story. I am glad to say that they look hyper realistic and are as good, if not better, than the stuff on CSI. The direction is also very well suited to the show being flashy but also intelligent allowing the viewer a chance to feel part of the case.

There are a couple of issues that prevent Bones from reaching the heights of the very best CSI episodes and this is due to some of the smaltzy American plots. Rather than treat the audience with the intelligence shown during the case the episodes often finish with a flurry of syrupy Americana lesson learning. Arguable CSI does so little of this that it is at fault but I found that Bones did it too much for my liking. Also like many season 1s this show dipped in standard during the middle from excellent to just good. However, overall Bones is still one of the best, funniest, most intelligent crime dramas of the past few years and definitely worth a rent or cheap buy from any fans of the genre.

For such a meaty box set there are not that many extras to choose from. The final disc contains a few middle of the road adverts disguised as featurettes but apart from that only one episode has a commentary from Deschanel and Boreanaz. This is fun to listen to, but they basically mess around rather than tell you anything of interest.

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Crime drama BONES follows the investigations of Temperance 'Bones' Brennan (Emily Deschanel, LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT), a forensic anthropologist who attempts to identify corpses that are badly burned, decomposed or destroyed. She is frequently paired with Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz, ANGEL) of the FBI's Homicide Investigations Unit to investigate cases. Temperence works at the Jeffersonian Institute and her special skill is the ability to read the clues left behind in the victim's bones, hence her nickname. This leads to her being contacted by the FBI to help with their cases. Booth frequently clashes with Brennan and her methods as he dislikes science and scientists, preferring instead traditional investigative work to solve cases. However, the combination of Brennan and Booth's different skills leads to them becoming an extremely effective partnership in solving cases. In some ways similar to CSI, Bones has proved to be a very successful show and displays a darkly amusing humour amongst the somewhat grim subject matter. The show takes its inspiration from books by Kathy Reichs, a best-selling novelist and real-life anthropologist who works as a consultant on the show. Ironically, Temperance Brennan is also an author, writing about the adventures of a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs.